An Amazon Charts and USA Today bestseller.Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. … home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.
But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.
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This book was a genre change for me but I love Rachel Caine and had to give it a try and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t want to put the book down until it was finished.
The story is about a woman who is married to a sadistic serial killer and had no idea until a car went through their garage. The story follows the family as they try to escape their past.
I had to get through the first couple chapters to really emerge myself into the story but I am so happy I pushed through.
Imagine coming home one afternoon after a normal, typical day and having your life turned inside out, upside down in a second. Well, that’s what happened to Gwen Proctor, formerly known as Gina Royal, the identity she had to give up so she and her two children, Lanny and Connor (also new names) could survive. A freak accident exposed her now ex-husband Mel Royal as a brutal serial killer and the court of public opinion viewed Gwen as an accomplice. She was tried and acquitted in the real court of justice but that didn’t reverse the public’s verdict. Now she’s forced to live a life of numerous moves to avoid discovery and her latest residence is on Stillhouse Lake in Tennessee, a remote location offering privacy and some level of normalcy…until now.
What an incredible ride! The first half of the story lays the foundation for what’s now Gwen’s life, as well as the character development. You could just feel Gwen’s vigilance and commitment to protecting her children and the tension was palpable, especially when there’s evidence of a threat. The few people she’s let in her life all become suspects and there are plenty of clues to assemble to figure it out, some more obvious than others but all pretty subtle and nuanced. The last half of the story left me breathless as it all started coming together at breakneck and perilous speed. I literally could NOT put this book down.
Let me warn you. Have the next book ready to load or be pulled from your bookshelf. This is obviously a series with a continuing story arc. It ends in a good place but with a shocker you’ll want to explore. I wasn’t fond of it but, yes, I’m very hooked. This was a Traveling Friends group read and it was so much fun discussing at pivotal points. I loved this book and am anxious to continue the series. 4.5 stars.
Novel I picked up as a Kindle Unlimited read/listen. Suspense is wonderful and build up to the climax is great. Reading the novel, I found it so realistic and believable.
Happy go lucky housewife Gina Royal is shocked to the real world when she finds out that the man she married…her husband was a serial killer. When the truth was uncovered, she is labled as an accomplice and goes on trial. She is acquitted, but the people in her small town and internet stalkers don’t believe she is innocent and continue their finger pointing.
Unable to put up with the backlash, she changes her and her children’s name and learns how to handle a gun because she and her two children have to roam from place to place to stay safe. Somehow she is always tracked and for some odd reasons her husband manages to find her location when he sends her letters from his jail cell.
The story is fast-paced with suspense and ingenous twists. The characters are well-developed too. Although this is my first read by this author, I do look forward to reading more from her. The narration was okay but the narrator was a bit monotone. I also didn’t like the story being left on a clifthanger to set up the sequel. Did not fit for me. Because of that I would have rated a little higher.
The farther I got into the book, the faster I had to read. Many unanswered questions and suspicious characters motivated me. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. The main character was quite strong and resolved. It will keep you guessing.
One of my very favorites!
Spoiler alerts!! Let’s start by saying I could not put this book (or book 2 down). They absolutely draw you in and are very tense. That said, they are also not realistic — than goodness — and while the premise or a woman unknowingly married to a serial killer working out of their own home in a very sadistic way is barely plausible, the idea that she has created a new life and a ultra secret techie group connected with said husband, who also just happens to escape and come after her and the budding boyfriend who just so happens to be one of the victims relatives … you get it. So don’t expect believable, or even barely plausible, but somehow, some way this book draws you in and will not let you stop reading. Go figure.
I surprisingly really enjoyed this book. I actually listened to this book through audible ( which I love to do while driving. I forever in my car) I usually like upbeat funny stories but I tried this one and at first thought it was rather dark but then I really was into it and couldn’t wait to see what happened. It was a bit predictable in some ways but not overly and had plenty of surprise turns and twists. I completely enjoyed it!! Im now onto book two which is just as good!! Highly recommend them!!
I should not have stayed up last night to finish the last half of this book. Yes, half. I regret nothing. So good. So so good. I couldn’t put it down. I NEEDED to get to the end. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep otherwise.
As for Gina/Gwen…..I have no idea what I would do if i find out my husband is a FUCKING SERIAL KILLER…and on top of all that people don’t believe me innocent and set out to harm not just me but also my children. It’s not a situation nobody ever thinks they’d be in. And I think that with the shit storm she was handed, after living what she thought was a damn near perfect life…. she did a great job in trying to keep her kids safe. The whole situation is fucked up but I can’t imagine she could have done better………………….except for one thing…….Her trusting Absalom. I don’t get it. She doesn’t trust ANYONE after the fact…but she does a complete and total stranger..I don’t care how much it seems like he’s helping you. I couldn’t wrap my head around that. Maybe that comes into play in the book. Which I plan on reading. ASAP.
This was a great book and I’m thrilled to see that there are more to the series.
This two book series is exceptional…well written and action packed. Will keep your attention from start to finish.
Gina now Gwen is a strong woman and she is vigilant. After finding out her husband is a serial killer, Gina and her kids change their identities more than once before coming to Stillhouse Lake. Then a body of a tortured woman is found in the lake close to their home.
I had my suspicions of the identity of the killer early in the book but with all the different things going it made me question my choice. Rachel Caine leads you in every possible direction to get to the final terrifying scene.
Looking forward to the next book in series.
Tension filled thriller.
Strong language (often quite appropriately used, but I could live without it.)
Violence, including sexual violence and references to torture which might be disturbing to some. I’m the type who covers my eyes during the scary or bloody scenes at the movies or in episodes of TV shows like Bones, but I could handle this. Perhaps that’s because it was written rather than splashed across a screen in front of me, so I could skim over it a little.
Mature audiences only, please.
No Spoilers
Very well written. Gwen, whose legal name is Gina, has been on the run with her children for several years after having been acquitted of being guilty of being an accomplice to her husband’s crimes as a serial killer. Her husband, who is on death row, is unquestionably guilty, and we come to despise him thoroughly. Gwen continues to be on the run because there are many who still believe she is her husband’s “little helper.” She must constantly check internet blogs to be sure that she and the kids have not been found. In doing so she must also read the truly horrible posts and suggestions for revenge against both herself and her children.
When she gets to Stillhouse Lake, she believes she has finally escaped, and perhaps they can start making a normal life for themselves. But no. Someone’s found her and has started leaking hints to her whereabouts – or are they just good guesses? Her first instinct is to pack up and run again, but because she sees the damage to her children that comes with constantly changing names, homes, and abandoning new friends, she chooses to stick it out.
Then the stalkers get way too close, and things get very, very complicated.
This is the kind of book where I was compelled to continue reading well after midnight in order to personally save Gwen and her kids as well as to expose the people she refers to as Trolls.
If you enjoy a good thriller – perhaps you like Dean Koontz – you will enjoy this one.
This book kept me turning pages. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
Even tho this book had violence and graphic descriptions in it, it was a page turner and kept my interest. I felt like I was there with the main character and felt her frustration, and challenges. This author did a great job with surprises. There is a little bit of a cliff hanger at the end but not enough to completely disappoint.
As an avid Mystery/Thriller reader, I would say that getting surprised does not come easily. This book. Oh, this book. Rachel Caine has went above and beyond expectations with plot, set up, and execution. It is absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. It begs the reader to really take a look at their own lives and ask themselves if they really know, I mean really KNOW the people they are living with. It takes us on that journey and into the world of an average woman who is forced to become everything she’s not for the safety of her family. Creepy, haunting, and absolutely unpredictable does not come close to describing some of the turns this book takes. You won’t want to hear the name Melvin anytime soon.
Fantastic book that was thrilling to the last page. I read it over the space of a night and I genuinely couldn’t put it down; much to the chagrin of my cats who feel my entire existence should be devoted to their every need and whim.
The characters are wonderfully crafted. And the setting is so vividly drawn that I can practically picture it in my mind. Gwen and her family will have you rooting for them right from the get-go. And for the first time in a long time I couldn’t quite pinpoint who the villain was.
If you’re looking for something to suck you in then I highly recommend this book.
The first half of this book was slow and monotonous for me. I was just thinking about not finishing when it picked up.
It ends with a bang and sets up the second book, which I will read.
What a ride! I love it when women who are helpless victims become fierce and formidable foes. Gwen Proctor gave me that Sarah Connor in Terminator and Ripley from Aliens vibe.
Gina Royal was a meek housewife unknowingly married to a gruesome serial killer, a fact that continues to torment her. She has lived with the consequences, including appalling daily threats from people who believe she must have assisted her ex-husband with the killings and want to see her tortured as a result. It has forced her to relocate her and her two children multiple times, always changing their identities. Now she is Gwen Proctor — a single mother who is always suspicious, always on high alert, and always prepared to protect her family against any worse-case scenario at all costs.
I enjoyed seeing how sharp Gwen’s mind has become, how calculating and fearless she is in her decision-making, and how capable she is to defend herself and her kids against physical threats. Just when she begins to find some peace in a new town, a woman murdered in an eerily similar manner is discovered floating in the lake by Gwen’s house. Is she being framed? Is she in danger? How long before she is discovered?
The author does a great job setting the tone for this taut thriller. Some of the exchanges with her ex-husband are downright chilling. It feels as if someone is watching Gwen’s every move, and it’s understandable that she trusts nobody. This is the biggest issue I have with the story. For someone so paranoid, she makes some careless choices and trusts people that she admits aren’t trustworthy.
I had my suspicions about whodunit, and I turned out to be right. How it all plays out is an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster though. This suspenseful thriller kept my heart pumping throughout most of the book. I was surprised to find that the end of Stillhouse Lake leaves so many loose threads dangling. Heads up: the story continues in Killman Creek.
I finished this a couple weeks ago but had been in a bit of a funk (not the book’s fault) and then sick for a few days so I am just now getting around to posting.
Book #1 in a mystery suspense series that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. Excited for Book #2 of the Stillhouse Lake Series.
I first heard of Rachel Caine about a year ago and learned not only was she pumping out novels and series that were getting high praise, but she was doing so while fighting a rare form of cancer; soft tissue sarcoma.
Unfortunately Rachel lost her fight in November of 2020 and in my own way of keeping her memory alive and to raise awareness for her disease I am hoping to read, review, and post at least one of her books every three months until I have read her entire collection.